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Diocesan Policies
and Guidelines
Guidelines
for Inclusive Language
Why
Inclusiveness? Why Now?
The Jubilee Year 2000
was a God-given opportunity for the Church to 'take stock', to
reconsider its commitment to justice, freedom, forgiveness and
jubilation. Many of us have gained a new momentum and energy in
our efforts to restore harmony and right order in our relationships
with creation, with each other and with God.
As we enter the third millennium,
the Standing Committee on Gender Issues invites us in the Diocese
of Maitland-Newcastle to look, with fresh eyes, at the proclamations
of our prayers, hymns, scripture and homilies, as Jesus did as
he embarked on his public ministry:
"The Spirit of the
Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings
to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of
sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim
a year acceptable to the Lord." Lk 4:18-19
We acknowledge that the
process of moving to more inclusive styles of worship and expression
will, at times, be painful and even divisive. All change involves
loss as well as gain. However, the promotion of gender equity
is a gospel value that can no longer be delayed.
In offering these guidelines,
the Standing Committee seeks to encourage thoughtful and informed
reflection by parishioners, liturgists, clergy, teachers and pastoral
groups on an issue that is fundamental.
How
Do We Speak of God?
Language can never
fully comprehend or adequately express the fullness of God, but
we must strive to use the richest and most accurate language available.
What we say to God and about God is our attempt to attribute to
God the highest values, such as justice, love and compassion.
The Hebrew and Christian Scriptures
belong to patriarchal times and so it is understandable that they
are often couched in masculine terms. Yet the biblical name, YHWH,
"I am who am" (Ex 3:14) suggests that God is beyond
time, place and situation; our language needs to reflect our time,
place and situation.
Any image of God is incomplete. Our
language about God must try to be inclusive and open rather than
limiting.
It may be helpful to ask questions such as:
- Which images of God are life-giving,
for me and for the world?
- Which images encourage growth?
- Which images challenge us to
respond in justice and compassion?
- Which images enable us to see
God and God' s world from the perspective of the poor and oppressed?
- Which images nurture and sustain
intimacy?
The wealth of images is limited only
by our imagination and willingness to reflect on our experience
and draw connections between concrete human situations and faith.
Our use of images can limit or extend our understanding of God.
In a practical sense, there are certainly
times when it is appropriate to replace the masculine pronoun
"he", "him" and "his" with "God",
"you" or "God's". As always, awareness and
sensitivity are essential.
Who
are the People of God?
Language that
is exclusive, whether found in Scripture, prayers, hymns or homilies,
fails to convey the 'good news' that all people are made in the
image of God (Gen 1:27). Language is a central means of gaining
access to the world and of communicating effectively. It is vital
that all members of the worshipping community feel included and
encounter images of God that speak to them.
"For us men and for our
salvation he came down from heaven..." (Nicene Creed).
The example above highlights the
need for the Church' s prayers, hymns and homilies to acknowledge
without ambiguity that the People of God are women and men, boys
and girls. Asking that the language we use in these contexts be
inclusive is not simply 'jumping (belatedly) on the bandwagon'
or catering to the demands of a small but vocal group, but rather
taking seriously the prophetic character of liturgy, so that our
words, symbols and rituals speak of what might be, not simply
of what is.
Thus, liturgy planners and presiders
- in fact, anyone who leads others in prayer - need to consider
carefully the message that is being conveyed and the opportunities
offered to promote inclusiveness. The following questions might
raise areas worthy of attention:
- Do the prayers of the Mass and
other liturgies acknowledge the unity of the People of God which
they attempt to promote?
- Do the hymns chosen reflect not
only the particular focus of the gathering but also the gospel
values of justice and inclusiveness?
- Does the homily or reflection
use examples, quotations, anecdotes portraying the gifts and
qualities of women and men?
- Has any introductory statement
or commentary been carefully prepared so as to include all?
- Do the people with particular
roles - leader, lector(s), servers, choir, ministers of the
Eucharist etc - reflect, in gender terms, the community gathered?
- Is the overall tone one of welcome
and inclusiveness?
How
Can We Minister As Jesus Did?
For Jesus' disciples,
to minister meant to follow Jesus and to participate publicly
in his mission. Jesus was open to all who wished to share his
ministry, and when Paul characterised what it meant to belong
to a Christian community, he said,
"There can be neither Jew nor Greek, there can be neither
slave nor free man, there can be neither male nor female for you
are all one in Christ Jesus." Gal 3:28
Today, we are called to participate
actively in the same mission and to exercise the gifts of the
Spirit as Jesus did. The Second Vatican Council reclaimed ministry
as service and reaffirmed its belonging to all people, by reason
of baptism.
The exercise of ministry as service,
therefore, is the role of all the baptised, not limited by race,
creed, age, status or gender. So those who minister ought reflect
the diversity of the community. The practical application of this
would be evident in the composition and nature of pastoral groups,
task forces, liturgical ministries, commissions, advisory bodies
and councils.
How
Do We Approach Scripture?
"God'
s revelation to the human race in the Bible is normative for the
Christian faith and biblical terms for God are integral to its
expression." Inclusive Language and the Liturgy, Australian
National Liturgical Commission.
As Catholics we believe that the Scriptures are the witness to
God's revelation throughout human history. We also believe that
the Scriptures are the work of human beings writing in particular
times and expressing themselves within particular contexts of
history, culture, language and theology.
As we read them, pray with
them, proclaim and interpret them, we ask "what is the truth
revealed here?" In seeking to answer that question, we ask
others, "What did the author mean? How would the author express
that idea today?" Translators have asked and answered those
questions so that we can read and hear in English what was once
written and spoken in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. There can be
no end to our asking of these questions.
By way of example, there are
other areas in which human society has developed beyond the framework
in which the Bible was written. Slavery and capital punishment
are at least condoned in many passages of Scripture, in ways that
Christians would not now accept.
Similarly, there is no escaping
the fact that there are certainly passages of Scripture that endorse
or condone patriarchy and the subjugation of women. When encountering
these passages, we will struggle to explain them in their context,
and we will often choose not to proclaim them in our worship.
As a general guideline in a difficult area: when there are texts
available which accurately translate the original Hebrew, Aramaic
or Greek in more inclusive way, such translations are recommended
for use in both study and worship.
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